Pistons' Curry willing to go to bench down stretch

NEW YORK -- If today's game against the New York Knicks goes anything like most of the previous ones this season, Detroit Pistons coach Michael Curry is going to need some big plays from someone late in the game.

In past years, figuring out who these plays would come from was easy.

It was one of the five starters.

But this season, with Curry placing a greater emphasis on the reserves playing more, figuring out which Pistons player to key is far from a given.

"We have capable guys," Curry said recently. "I'm comfortable and glad I have options to go with different guys based on how their playing. That's always a really good thing. You can't pick one or two guys who will definitely be out there to finish games."

Which means second-year guard Arron Afflalo, who plays behind a three-time All-Star Richard Hamilton, may find nights when he's called upon down the stretch while Hamilton watches from the bench.

Hamilton said there were times last season when he as well as some other Pistons starters, probably played more minutes than they deserved.

"Even last year, guys that were working hard, doing whatever you had to do to win games, they wouldn't play," Hamilton said. "We'd sometimes play guys regardless if they had it or didn't have it.

"This year, he's (Curry) sticking to the script. If guys are going out and doing everything they got to do, the dirty work, if it's making shots or playing defense or whatever, we have to stick to that. Because now it gives guys an opportunity to say, 'You know what? I'm a defender. If I go out and defend, I'm going to be able to stay on the floor. I don't just have to score points to be on the floor.' "

This has certainly worked for Afflalo, who has had a handful of games this season when he was on the floor down the stretch.

Not only is it a confidence boost for players like Afflalo, but it also gives Curry even more credibility with players.

Said Curry: "If we tell guys at the beginning of the year, that you come in and do what you're supposed to do, and if you're playing well, we'll keep you in the game. If I come in now and take them out of the game when they're playing well, what do I have then? I have no credibility. Leading and coaching is all about credibility."

It puts a greater premium on players like Hamilton to make better use of the minutes they get, knowing that there's no guarantee they'll be counted on down the stretch.

"It puts an emphasis on winning, and not the names on the back of guy's jerseys," Afflalo said. "We all hold each other accountable, we all respect each other, we all want each other to do well. But the bottom line is we all want to win. It's not about who you are, it's about who's playing well that night and who can get the job done for the team."

And getting job done down the stretch, at least this season, may not necessarily include starters.

Hamilton has no problem with that.

"I know what the ultimate goal is," Hamilton said. "I ain't worrying about any individual stuff. I just want to win games."